November 14, 2020
7049 – Griffiss Park
November 14, 2020
Write-up: Jerry Stewart
Leader: Jerry Stewart
Co-Leader: Lori Waterman
Storytime for you. Yes, I still get together with the tramps. We limit the size of the groups these days, mandatory masks and social distancing practices required. Being hunting season we look for more urban settings to go on. Saturday I took them around my trails on the base thru the art park. I walk them 5 days a week unless it is a complete downpour, mental health break for the workday at lunchtime. When do I eat? The other 8 hours of my workday! ?
Back to my story. 14 of us met up and away we went. There are many different displays, many of them are by local artists. I had their map from the internet which was dated. Deb showed me an app, Art at Griffiss which worked well and gives information about each. Google it and check it out. The winged horse playing with a dragon is symbolic of the base. The horse being the Phoenix from the fire as the once strong SAC military base was decommissioned and has taken on new life as a high-tech park supporting Rome lab and the next generation advancements in defense and cybersecurity. The dragon tail represents a military jet soaring into the future. From on base we track every aircraft in the sky from the Canadian border to Florida! Santa tracking Christmas eve as well. I’m privileged to know one of the commanders of that operation and we frequently patrol the Northern border in the summer months together on his pontoon boat.
There is a very nice Vietnam memorial there as well. I watched daily as two vets poured hour after hour of love and remembrance into this. They have a helicopter coming to be added to it also. I took them around the park and pointed out a few things not mentioned in the brochures. One example is the still active flight control tower which our own Sir Tom Smith once worked for many years. We can only hope his navigational skills were sharper back then. ?
Of course, at the end of the outing was a stop for that favorite frozen treat ? ? proving, it’s never too cold for ice cream!
Thank you to Deb and Lori for some awesome pictures. See you all on the trail.
On a beautiful, sunny, unexpectedly warm November day, 29 people gathered to hike the trails of Trenton Greenbelt. Because of the large number of people, two groups were formed.
Twenty of us hiked 7 miles into Little Woodhall Lake on another beautiful day.
In a dark, dark wood on Halloween night, a group of trick or treating Tramps ventured out knowing that their path would soon be lit by the light of a beautiful Hunters’ Blue Moon. Approaching the gate to South Woods at dusk, covered in webs and aglow with orange lights, two witches greeted them with their cackles and brooms.
Did the group continue on? Yes, indeed they did! As the group started their journey up the first switchback lined with lighted luminaries, the moon in all its glory began to rise over the horizon. Not long into their walk, they encountered a very stiff scarecrow stuck on a post. Suddenly it began moving and rushed out with its sickle searching for brains! The group offered up Sir Tom, but for some peculiar reason the scarecrow refused his brain!
Onward the Tramps walked, deeper into the woods. It wasn’t long before they discovered a fellow Tramp sitting slumped over on a stump, apparently passed out from having too much to drink from his “19 Crimes” bottle.
Just beyond, an old man lying on a bench appeared to have succumbed to his age. But lo and behold, a few seconds later he rose from his prone position, not dead at all!
A grim discovery was made at a cemetery with gravestones bearing the names of some notorious Tramps. And there was that darn scarecrow again, draped over a set of parallel bars. Running further down the trail the Tramps escaped from becoming brainless once again!
All was seemingly calm as they passed by a hat left by one of the witches along with her jar of lighted eyeballs, an enormous spider precariously perched on a tree, hanging ghouls and ghosts, and a freaky face peering out from a hollow tree stump. A moving green light down the path captured attention. As the hikers approached, the green lighted stick figure on the hillside entertained them with its dance moves. Looming ahead on the trail was a lighted lantern being held by a grotesque extended arm. It illuminated a monstrous figure with eyeballs dangling from its sockets. Luckily, it was nothing more than an uprooted tree . . . phew!
The glow of a fire could be seen as the hikers made their way down the last switchback and out of the woods. And there, standing beside it, was the one witch who had remained behind, cackling and waving her broomstick to beckon them in. Should they approach? Well, the Tramps certainly weren’t going to be scared away by just one more spooky witch! Proceeding into her lair, they were rewarded for their bravery with mulled cider, cookies and other delightful treats.
Nine members of the Tramp and Trail Club spent a productive Saturday morning into early afternoon manicuring the Larch, Mill Creek, Jack’s Track, Beaver Pond, Douglas Creek and portions of the West Loop trails at DEC’s Carpenter Road trail system. Our total hike was ~6.5 miles but certainly seemed shorter due to spending the time with such good company. Hands, clippers, handsaws, loppers were all put to good use as trail debris, low hanging and otherwise encroaching vegetation was moved aside or trimmed back from the trail. A few new and or replacement trail markers were nailed up to make the path easier to follow. It appears that the DEC had very recently brought in a crew that cleared a substantial number of blowdowns that had occured over the spring, summer and fall. Their heavy work made it much easier for us to tidy things up for the coming ski/snowshoe season. New trail maps that had been installed at all intersections last year are still in good shape with the exception of the one located at the beginning of Mill Creek. A blowdown had taken that one out of commission. It will be replaced by Jan and Hugh before the ski season begins.
Nineteen of us hiked 6.75 miles from Fern Park to Seventh Lake and then returned.
As the sign on the tree says “KIDS OF ALL AGES PLAYING.”
A bunch of us hiked 5.7 miles from the Old Forge School to the top of McCauley Mt. I think I lost more than the 10 percent that’s allowed. However it was a nice day with crowds of people lining up for ski lift tickets, mountain bike racers and hikers. It appeared the survivors enjoyed themselves. See if I can do better next Sunday.
A baker’s dozen of us gathered to hike the rim trails of the gulf on a gorgeous autumn day. Fall foliage was at its peak on the Tug Hill Plateau and we all enjoyed the scenery on the drive to and from as well as along the gulf. We could not have asked for a more beautiful day for this hike!
On Saturday, the kayakers paddled from Second Pond on the Saranac River to Lake Flower.
On a cool September morning eleven Tramps set out for our third attempt to find
We followed the orange and red markers ’til they ran out then had to turn to Greg and Paul